#4 Chris Duarte – Guard – Oregon
Chris Duarte is one of the oldest players in this year’s draft class, but he is also a guy that can come in and play right away, which is why he is one of the best options for the Lakers in the 2021 NBA Draft. While adding younger, higher potential guys could be more beneficial to Los Angeles long-term, adding Duarte gives them a guy who can contribute immediately to their championship efforts.
Standing 6’6”, Chris Duarte is a bigger guard who really thrives as a perimeter-oriented threat. In two seasons at Oregon, he shot 38% from three-point range and this past season, Durate shot 42.4% from three-point range. Whether it is coming off of screens or being on the receiving end of a catch-and-shoot play, he is able to knock down shots from the perimeter at a high-level.
That mindset of being a “3-and-D” player is exactly what the Lakers will be looking to add to their team not just in the draft, but in free agency as well. I hate comparing players that play the same position from the same school, but there are similarities to be made between Duarte and Dillon Brooks of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Both guys made a name for themselves in Eugene for being “3-and-D” threats on the wing, but the key difference in favor of Chris Duarte is that I believe he is a little more polished in terms of an offensive threat coming out of college. You know what you are going to get with Duarte as a shooter, which is why he could have an immediate impact in the NBA.
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The only big concerns with Chris Duarte right now is that there is not much room to improve as a playmaker and on defense, he is not really a guy that will be known to be all over the place. The older guard is more than capable of defending at a high-level in isolation sets, but if teams get him switching all the time in screens, then he could be exposed by faster, more athletic guards/wings.
While he may be an older prospect at 24-years-old, Chris Duarte should be viewed as one of the best two-way players in this year’s draft class and should absolutely be on the radar of plenty of teams with playoff potential like the Lakers.
